Equipment and machinery often contain moving (e.g., rotating) members, which require support during operation. A bearing, or similar device, may be used to support the moving member. Although many types of bearings require direct contact with the member to provide the necessary support, some applications benefit from non-contact, or nearly non-contact support for the member. A magnetic bearing uses a magnetic field to apply force to, and thereby support, the moving member in a non-contact, or nearly non-contact, manner. The non-contact or nearly non-contact support provided by the magnetic bearing can provide frictionless or nearly frictionless movement of the member. In such magnetic bearings, the clearance between the stationary and moving parts can have an effect on the magnitude of the supporting force established by the magnetic field.